Springtime, cleantime, shoptime...

     It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.

     It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually,  (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.

     I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.

     Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.

     Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.

Until next time

-M

     It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.

     It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually,  (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.

     I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.

     Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.

     Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.

Until next time

-M

     It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.

     It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually,  (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.

     I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.

     Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.

     Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.

Until next time

-M

     It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.

     It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually,  (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.

     I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.

     Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.

     Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.

Until next time

-M

Booked

     Today is the first official short sleeve day here in Denver. The wind is calm, the sun has been out all day, and even wearing a hoodie is uncomfortable. Some are even wearing shorts. The skate park across the street not only contains its normal patrons of pot dealers and bros looking to get sponsored, but also the families and even a few people who got off work early (the Dockers are a dead giveaway). I'm not too sure what the temperature is, probably in the mid 60s if I had to guess, but I don't really care. It is gorgeous out. Why am I not outside you ask? The answer is simple, I'm a graduate student. However, Nina (my dog) forces me to pull away from my work and enjoy at least part of the day.

     All of this is a simple reminder that within two short months, Denver will be a far, far away place. I'll be in a new environment with a new language and a new cultural system. This dry, 60 something warm day will be a thing of the past. As of yesterday I'm officially going to Malaysia. I bought a plane ticket, non-refundable, non-transferable. I am all in baby.

     The number one thing I am worried about this summer is adjusting to the humidity. As an American, I really don't know what humidity is. Ya ya, I know many of you are saying - what about the deep south? The Florida Keys? Yes, those areas are humid, and yes I have been to many of those places. I'm talking about hardcore humidity. The punch-to-the-gut humidity that hits you the second you step off a plane in any region between the tropics. The kind of humidity that overwhelms you, makes you want to take a cold shower 4 times a day, and is completely inescapable. The kind where you can smell and feel the vegetation breathe. The last time I experienced such a thing was my arrival in Iquitos, Peru the start of my 5 day stay in the Amazon. It's one thing to tolerate something for 5 days, but it's another to live in it for a summer. I will be 3 degrees north of the equator where the temperature is about 80 degrees with 80-90% humidity at all times. Fortunately, unlike the Amazon, air conditioning in KL is rather common; unfortunately (and also unlike the Amazon), I will be enduring the punches in business clothes. I understand it is all a part of the experience, don't get me wrong. However, I'm already going to be that crazy, pasty, white girl. I just don't need to be known as the smelly sweaty one as well.

     The beginning of this experience has also reminded me of just how time consuming moving to another country really is, even if it is temporary. Moving to Denmark required quite a lot of planning, but as I say, the bigger the body of water you cross, the more that is involved. Compound that with being a full time graduate student taking 5 classes and the to-do list is never ending. It's a happy kind of busy though, an enjoyable busy (except contacting health insurance companies...just don't get me started) the kind of busy that you just know is going to pay off, so don't think I'm complaining.

     Among this list is something extra that I have made as a goal for myself - to learn a little bahasa Melayu, or Malaysian. I'm not just talking about what a tourist to any country should know. Please, especially if you are an American (notorious for being the more ignorant of the tourist community) at least learn to say 'please,' 'thank you,' 'hello', 'goodbye,' 'cheers,' and if you are getting the hang of it 'yes' and 'no.' My goal in Malaysia is to not be shy and divert to English all the time. Now, this is a significant challenge for me. Those who know me (or will soon learn through this blog) know that I barely have a grasp on my own language, let alone a foreign one. Despite my inherent disabilities in the language department, I have found bahasa Melayu to be a relatively easy language to get the hang of. I've been using a website with audio files and 64 lessons in bahasa Melayu. There are no crazy intonations like Chinese, there are no verb conjugations, to make a word plural you say it twice, and words like 'I,' 'me,' and 'my' are all the same word (forgive me, I don't remember the technical terms of each of those pronoun derived subsets). Furthermore, the sounds of the language are ones that someone who speaks languages of latin or germanic origin can actually pronounce. I can actually say quite a lot, hopefully I'll eventually learn how to say 'speak slower' so I can communicate in day-to-day life.


     As I sit here writing, the to do list isn't getting any shorter. It's back to the grind for me. Until next time.

M

     Today is the first official short sleeve day here in Denver. The wind is calm, the sun has been out all day, and even wearing a hoodie is uncomfortable. Some are even wearing shorts. The skate park across the street not only contains its normal patrons of pot dealers and bros looking to get sponsored, but also the families and even a few people who got off work early (the Dockers are a dead giveaway). I'm not too sure what the temperature is, probably in the mid 60s if I had to guess, but I don't really care. It is gorgeous out. Why am I not outside you ask? The answer is simple, I'm a graduate student. However, Nina (my dog) forces me to pull away from my work and enjoy at least part of the day.

     All of this is a simple reminder that within two short months, Denver will be a far, far away place. I'll be in a new environment with a new language and a new cultural system. This dry, 60 something warm day will be a thing of the past. As of yesterday I'm officially going to Malaysia. I bought a plane ticket, non-refundable, non-transferable. I am all in baby.

     The number one thing I am worried about this summer is adjusting to the humidity. As an American, I really don't know what humidity is. Ya ya, I know many of you are saying - what about the deep south? The Florida Keys? Yes, those areas are humid, and yes I have been to many of those places. I'm talking about hardcore humidity. The punch-to-the-gut humidity that hits you the second you step off a plane in any region between the tropics. The kind of humidity that overwhelms you, makes you want to take a cold shower 4 times a day, and is completely inescapable. The kind where you can smell and feel the vegetation breathe. The last time I experienced such a thing was my arrival in Iquitos, Peru the start of my 5 day stay in the Amazon. It's one thing to tolerate something for 5 days, but it's another to live in it for a summer. I will be 3 degrees north of the equator where the temperature is about 80 degrees with 80-90% humidity at all times. Fortunately, unlike the Amazon, air conditioning in KL is rather common; unfortunately (and also unlike the Amazon), I will be enduring the punches in business clothes. I understand it is all a part of the experience, don't get me wrong. However, I'm already going to be that crazy, pasty, white girl. I just don't need to be known as the smelly sweaty one as well.

     The beginning of this experience has also reminded me of just how time consuming moving to another country really is, even if it is temporary. Moving to Denmark required quite a lot of planning, but as I say, the bigger the body of water you cross, the more that is involved. Compound that with being a full time graduate student taking 5 classes and the to-do list is never ending. It's a happy kind of busy though, an enjoyable busy (except contacting health insurance companies...just don't get me started) the kind of busy that you just know is going to pay off, so don't think I'm complaining.

     Among this list is something extra that I have made as a goal for myself - to learn a little bahasa Melayu, or Malaysian. I'm not just talking about what a tourist to any country should know. Please, especially if you are an American (notorious for being the more ignorant of the tourist community) at least learn to say 'please,' 'thank you,' 'hello', 'goodbye,' 'cheers,' and if you are getting the hang of it 'yes' and 'no.' My goal in Malaysia is to not be shy and divert to English all the time. Now, this is a significant challenge for me. Those who know me (or will soon learn through this blog) know that I barely have a grasp on my own language, let alone a foreign one. Despite my inherent disabilities in the language department, I have found bahasa Melayu to be a relatively easy language to get the hang of. I've been using a website with audio files and 64 lessons in bahasa Melayu. There are no crazy intonations like Chinese, there are no verb conjugations, to make a word plural you say it twice, and words like 'I,' 'me,' and 'my' are all the same word (forgive me, I don't remember the technical terms of each of those pronoun derived subsets). Furthermore, the sounds of the language are ones that someone who speaks languages of latin or germanic origin can actually pronounce. I can actually say quite a lot, hopefully I'll eventually learn how to say 'speak slower' so I can communicate in day-to-day life.


     As I sit here writing, the to do list isn't getting any shorter. It's back to the grind for me. Until next time.

M

     Today is the first official short sleeve day here in Denver. The wind is calm, the sun has been out all day, and even wearing a hoodie is uncomfortable. Some are even wearing shorts. The skate park across the street not only contains its normal patrons of pot dealers and bros looking to get sponsored, but also the families and even a few people who got off work early (the Dockers are a dead giveaway). I'm not too sure what the temperature is, probably in the mid 60s if I had to guess, but I don't really care. It is gorgeous out. Why am I not outside you ask? The answer is simple, I'm a graduate student. However, Nina (my dog) forces me to pull away from my work and enjoy at least part of the day.

     All of this is a simple reminder that within two short months, Denver will be a far, far away place. I'll be in a new environment with a new language and a new cultural system. This dry, 60 something warm day will be a thing of the past. As of yesterday I'm officially going to Malaysia. I bought a plane ticket, non-refundable, non-transferable. I am all in baby.

     The number one thing I am worried about this summer is adjusting to the humidity. As an American, I really don't know what humidity is. Ya ya, I know many of you are saying - what about the deep south? The Florida Keys? Yes, those areas are humid, and yes I have been to many of those places. I'm talking about hardcore humidity. The punch-to-the-gut humidity that hits you the second you step off a plane in any region between the tropics. The kind of humidity that overwhelms you, makes you want to take a cold shower 4 times a day, and is completely inescapable. The kind where you can smell and feel the vegetation breathe. The last time I experienced such a thing was my arrival in Iquitos, Peru the start of my 5 day stay in the Amazon. It's one thing to tolerate something for 5 days, but it's another to live in it for a summer. I will be 3 degrees north of the equator where the temperature is about 80 degrees with 80-90% humidity at all times. Fortunately, unlike the Amazon, air conditioning in KL is rather common; unfortunately (and also unlike the Amazon), I will be enduring the punches in business clothes. I understand it is all a part of the experience, don't get me wrong. However, I'm already going to be that crazy, pasty, white girl. I just don't need to be known as the smelly sweaty one as well.

     The beginning of this experience has also reminded me of just how time consuming moving to another country really is, even if it is temporary. Moving to Denmark required quite a lot of planning, but as I say, the bigger the body of water you cross, the more that is involved. Compound that with being a full time graduate student taking 5 classes and the to-do list is never ending. It's a happy kind of busy though, an enjoyable busy (except contacting health insurance companies...just don't get me started) the kind of busy that you just know is going to pay off, so don't think I'm complaining.

     Among this list is something extra that I have made as a goal for myself - to learn a little bahasa Melayu, or Malaysian. I'm not just talking about what a tourist to any country should know. Please, especially if you are an American (notorious for being the more ignorant of the tourist community) at least learn to say 'please,' 'thank you,' 'hello', 'goodbye,' 'cheers,' and if you are getting the hang of it 'yes' and 'no.' My goal in Malaysia is to not be shy and divert to English all the time. Now, this is a significant challenge for me. Those who know me (or will soon learn through this blog) know that I barely have a grasp on my own language, let alone a foreign one. Despite my inherent disabilities in the language department, I have found bahasa Melayu to be a relatively easy language to get the hang of. I've been using a website with audio files and 64 lessons in bahasa Melayu. There are no crazy intonations like Chinese, there are no verb conjugations, to make a word plural you say it twice, and words like 'I,' 'me,' and 'my' are all the same word (forgive me, I don't remember the technical terms of each of those pronoun derived subsets). Furthermore, the sounds of the language are ones that someone who speaks languages of latin or germanic origin can actually pronounce. I can actually say quite a lot, hopefully I'll eventually learn how to say 'speak slower' so I can communicate in day-to-day life.


     As I sit here writing, the to do list isn't getting any shorter. It's back to the grind for me. Until next time.

M

     Today is the first official short sleeve day here in Denver. The wind is calm, the sun has been out all day, and even wearing a hoodie is uncomfortable. Some are even wearing shorts. The skate park across the street not only contains its normal patrons of pot dealers and bros looking to get sponsored, but also the families and even a few people who got off work early (the Dockers are a dead giveaway). I'm not too sure what the temperature is, probably in the mid 60s if I had to guess, but I don't really care. It is gorgeous out. Why am I not outside you ask? The answer is simple, I'm a graduate student. However, Nina (my dog) forces me to pull away from my work and enjoy at least part of the day.

     All of this is a simple reminder that within two short months, Denver will be a far, far away place. I'll be in a new environment with a new language and a new cultural system. This dry, 60 something warm day will be a thing of the past. As of yesterday I'm officially going to Malaysia. I bought a plane ticket, non-refundable, non-transferable. I am all in baby.

     The number one thing I am worried about this summer is adjusting to the humidity. As an American, I really don't know what humidity is. Ya ya, I know many of you are saying - what about the deep south? The Florida Keys? Yes, those areas are humid, and yes I have been to many of those places. I'm talking about hardcore humidity. The punch-to-the-gut humidity that hits you the second you step off a plane in any region between the tropics. The kind of humidity that overwhelms you, makes you want to take a cold shower 4 times a day, and is completely inescapable. The kind where you can smell and feel the vegetation breathe. The last time I experienced such a thing was my arrival in Iquitos, Peru the start of my 5 day stay in the Amazon. It's one thing to tolerate something for 5 days, but it's another to live in it for a summer. I will be 3 degrees north of the equator where the temperature is about 80 degrees with 80-90% humidity at all times. Fortunately, unlike the Amazon, air conditioning in KL is rather common; unfortunately (and also unlike the Amazon), I will be enduring the punches in business clothes. I understand it is all a part of the experience, don't get me wrong. However, I'm already going to be that crazy, pasty, white girl. I just don't need to be known as the smelly sweaty one as well.

     The beginning of this experience has also reminded me of just how time consuming moving to another country really is, even if it is temporary. Moving to Denmark required quite a lot of planning, but as I say, the bigger the body of water you cross, the more that is involved. Compound that with being a full time graduate student taking 5 classes and the to-do list is never ending. It's a happy kind of busy though, an enjoyable busy (except contacting health insurance companies...just don't get me started) the kind of busy that you just know is going to pay off, so don't think I'm complaining.

     Among this list is something extra that I have made as a goal for myself - to learn a little bahasa Melayu, or Malaysian. I'm not just talking about what a tourist to any country should know. Please, especially if you are an American (notorious for being the more ignorant of the tourist community) at least learn to say 'please,' 'thank you,' 'hello', 'goodbye,' 'cheers,' and if you are getting the hang of it 'yes' and 'no.' My goal in Malaysia is to not be shy and divert to English all the time. Now, this is a significant challenge for me. Those who know me (or will soon learn through this blog) know that I barely have a grasp on my own language, let alone a foreign one. Despite my inherent disabilities in the language department, I have found bahasa Melayu to be a relatively easy language to get the hang of. I've been using a website with audio files and 64 lessons in bahasa Melayu. There are no crazy intonations like Chinese, there are no verb conjugations, to make a word plural you say it twice, and words like 'I,' 'me,' and 'my' are all the same word (forgive me, I don't remember the technical terms of each of those pronoun derived subsets). Furthermore, the sounds of the language are ones that someone who speaks languages of latin or germanic origin can actually pronounce. I can actually say quite a lot, hopefully I'll eventually learn how to say 'speak slower' so I can communicate in day-to-day life.


     As I sit here writing, the to do list isn't getting any shorter. It's back to the grind for me. Until next time.

M